Fifty Shades of Revenge
by Queen Of Gabb 488
Summary: Hiatus- Anastasia Steele walked away from Christian Grey and didn't look back. Now, twenty-five years after she made the choice to walk out of his life, the consequences of their actions will come to fruition.
1. Chapter 1

The sky was a perfect reflection of Grey's temperament; clouds rolled through creating a force field that seemed to separate Seattle from the rest of the world. Still, the world wasn't completely dark and light filtered through; penetrating Seattle's damp, dreary atmosphere. It was the calm before the storm and while Grey was born from a dark place, Grey was also made of Steele.

* * *

><p>Christian Grey was in fight mode. There was no time for anything else ever since an unknown threat made an appearance on his radar, sneaking in and taking pieces of his businesses.<p>

It shouldn't have been that hard to determine who this person was. He had the best security and technical teams out there and no one could determine who this shadow hanging over his shoulder was. Christian was losing pieces of his company and a new corporation had sprung up developing new technology similar to products he had been working on. They were stealing his bids, going public right before he was scheduled to, and undermining him in the business world. Christian was fighting each day to ensure that his company didn't go through a hostile takeover.

Christian didn't need the money though he knew he would never allow himself to be poor again. The reasons for that were his and his alone. No one would ever know exactly why and the one person who had come close to knowing way too much about him had abandoned him years ago. Thinking about her only made him angry and bitter.

Who was _she _to do this to him? No one made Christian Grey weak; led him around like a dog on a leash. Leaving him was probably the best thing Anastasia Steele had ever done for him and yet he still thought about those days constantly.

He had tried to call her, to talk to her even once but Ana hadn't received his calls or responded to him. All communication had been cut off and once she had discovered that he had bought the publishing company she was working at Ana had quit. Christian had managed to keep tabs on her for a little while; he knew that she had gone home to her mother for a few months before finding another job in Chicago.

Ana would never know how many times he had been that close to her; close enough to walk up to her and if he had really wanted to, to exert his control over her for everyone to see. Anastasia Steele had been his. So he thought, until he was told that she had married her old friend Jose, and Christian Grey had put their history to bed.

So he told himself. He stopped keeping a watchful eye on her –it was too painful knowing that she was happy with another man—but he never really stopped thinking about her. Did she think about him when she was letting Jose love her? Did Ana ever reunite with Katharine?

During her brief relationship with his brother, Kate hadn't spoken to Anastasia though not for a lack of trying. Kate never believed that their relationship had ended amicably, and suspected that they had stopped seeing each other due to something Christian had done; she was right. He hated that.

Just like he thought about how things could have been different if he had only been capable of giving her more, he was thinking about how things could have been if he had a normal childhood and upbringing. Anastasia made him want to be a better person even when they hadn't seen each other in almost twenty-five years.

He had wondered then and knew now that Anastasia would always be his conscience and Grey wondered if the damn, stubborn woman would ever leave him alone so he could have some peace and quiet. He doubted it.

Andrea buzzed, "Sir, Ros is coming up now with new information."

"Send her in."

Walking in with a smile, Ros through a file down on his expensive marble desk. "I think we have them."


	2. Chapter 2

"It took a while to dig up the information; they went well out of their way to cover it up but we got it," Ros told him. "You'll never believe the name we dug up. _Kavanagh,_" she enunciated.

Christian's head snapped up. "As in…"

"Katherine Kavanagh. I know sir, I didn't expect it either. From all reports she's excelled in her career as a reporter, even winning a Pulitzer for her work. I thought maybe it was her father but we finally confirmed it today."

His eyes were dark clouds and while most people would be fooled into thinking of his present state as cold and glacial, Ros knew from experience that the emotions driving her boss were hot as hell and that he would set anything that got in his way ablaze.

"I want to know everything," he told her. "When she started, how she got the finances, the knowhow, who helped her; everything. I didn't think that her father would be capable of going against me but obviously he's become reckless in his old age."

Ros nodded, "We're already compiling a list of their corporate board and employees."

"Good. Let me know when you know something," he said standing up. He buttoned his jacket and grabbed his black berry. "I need to pay a friend a visit."

* * *

><p>Kate knocked on the door before letting herself in. As always she looked brilliant in a vibrant skirt suit; a beautiful coral color and cream blouse with nude patent leather peep toes. Her strawberry blonde hair was parted on the side and hung over her shoulders in loose waves, and her face was flawless.<p>

"It's done," she said and a devious smile crossed her face. "Jackson was able to feed Grey the wrong information," Kate moved to an armchair and sat, crossing her ankles. "It's only a matter of time before things start to heat up around here. Are you sure that you're ready for this?"

Grey nodded and picked up the mug the assistant had set on the side table. "I've been waiting for this all my life."

* * *

><p>"Taylor," Christian said as his head of security came in. "How's it coming along?"<p>

"Ryan is looking into it right now and Ros is in constant communication as she's finding things out."

Christian ran a hand through his copper hair. He had let it grow too much during the recent weeks and would have to remember to go get it cut. He let loose a heavy breath. "You need to track down Ms. Steele; she's got to be the motivation for this."

"Do you really think Ms. Steele would have anything to do with this," Taylor pondered. "She never seemed the vindictive type and it's been over two decades."

"Well, apparently we have an avenging angel coming after Grey House, and as I make sure as to not become personally involve with anything or anyone other than my charity work that leaves Anastasia as the last loose end."

"I'm on it, Sir." Taylor left to go to his office and Christian fixed himself a drink.


	3. Chapter 3

"All things are go for tomorrow," Andrea told him. "Taylor and Ros told me to let you know that all channels are secure and there shouldn't be any surprises," she handed him his coffee. "Do you need anything else, Sir?"

Looking at the blonde, Christian suddenly felt tired by all of this. "Call Taylor and tell him I want Charlie Tango tonight. Then you can go home." She nodded and went back to her office.

* * *

><p>"<em>Christian<em>," Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey answered the door to his childhood home and was surprised when he leaned in for a hug. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just tired," he told his mother, allowing her to take his jacket and usher him to the dining room.

"Gina," she told her newest maid, "Take out some of the leftovers from tonight and heat them up for my son, please," and ran a hand through his hair which he so rarely allowed and sat next to him.

"Do you want me to get your father?"

"No," Christian said. "Let him rest. How is he doing after his angioplasty?"

"Fine, just a little tired but his Doctor said that they didn't find anything of concern so hopefully there won't be any more heart attacks for him."

"And what about the law firm?"

"He gets updates from the partners but he's decided to retire."

A small smile appeared on his lips. "You mean you told him to retire," he said and saw her laugh.

"It was what this doctor ordered," she rebutted. "He's going to be more of a supervisor at the firm instead of taking on clients. I think it will keep him happy and keep his blood pressure under control."

"How are Mia and Francois?"

Grace smiled as she thought of her youngest child and the only one to make her a grandmother. "They're talking about coming for the summer with the children and I think they have another announcement to make."

"Another one? They already have three," Christian exclaimed and shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth. He had never understood why people had so many children, or even had any at all.

"Well, you know they have the two boys and the one girl. And Chelsea is almost twelve and she's growing up so fast, it might be nice if they could have another girl."

"Well, just let me know when they arrive from France. I'll pick them up."

"It really would be wonderful to have you and the entire family here again. It's been so long."

Christian finished his plate and stood up. "Thank you for dinner, Mother."

"Do you want to spend the night? You could have breakfast with your father in the morning," she offered.

"I have to be getting back to Seattle. We're introducing our newest project to the media tomorrow and I want to make sure everything is running smoothly. We've been having some trouble lately with one of our competitors getting the upper hand and I won't be allowing that to happen again."

"Is everything alright with the company," Grace was worried. It was inconceivable that anyone could ever outsmart her incredibly –scary—intelligent son.

"Let's just say when I get done with them they'll be sorry that they ever tried to take a swing at me. I don't take hostages," he told his mother and put on his jacket. Leaning over he gave her a kiss. "I'll see you later."

* * *

><p>Ros walked through his office doors while he was on the phone and picked up the remote, turning on the flat screen television to the news channel.<p>

"I'll call you back," his voice echoed hollow and sinister and got out of his chair. "What the _hell _is this?"

"They beat our press conference by an hour's time," Ros told him. "We're looking for employees who might be stealing our information and feeding it to Kavanagh. It's not too farfetched that a good looking woman could inspire some corporate espionage."

"I want to know who it is and when you find them you let me know," his voice boomed. "I have plans for this spy."

"Yes, Sir."

"And Ros? Set up a meeting with Katherine Kavanagh."


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Christian Grey, as I live and breathe," Kate said snidely. "What can I do for you," she asked and leaned back into her chair crossing her legs. Her hands were folded on top of her knees.

"Ms. Kavanagh, somehow when I accepted your request for an interview twenty-five years ago it never occurred to me that we would be here one day."

Her lips spread in the widest smile possible, exposing her feline nature as she stalked her prey. Her hands moved to grasp the arms of her computer chair and she leaned forward. "Surprising, isn't it?"

"What game are you playing, here?"

"A very fun one, I think. It took a while for me to figure out the rules and the pieces but things are finally falling into place."

"Whoever has been helping you; feeding you my work and information, will pay with more than what they took from me. I will bury them and you before this is all over!"

Kate's smile widened. "I'm sure that you'll try," the strawberry blonde told him and was distracted by the sight of someone walking down the corridor. Her smirk was wiped off her face and Kate turned back to stare him down. "You can go now," she told him, the coldness that she felt toward him seeping into her voice.

* * *

><p>Kate listened to security assure her that Christian Grey was off the premises before hanging up the phone, putting her earring back in, and pushing herself up out of her chair. Her assistant looked up to see if her presence was needed but Kate waved her off, walking to Grey's office. She used both hands to push the glass doors open and Grey looked up at the sound of Kate's heels clacking on the hardwood floors.<p>

When Grey had built this place the biggest decision that had been made was to make it as different from Grey House as possible. The polish and the cold aesthetic of marble had no place here. Here there were windows and light; touches of a place most would describe as home. There were window sills and the windows actually opened here; people didn't have to suffocate during their work day or wait for central air to kick in. This was a sanctuary for the people who worked here and for those affected by their work.

Grey knew from the look on her face that Kate was not pleased. "What's wrong?"

She threw her head back and let out a cackle. "I don't know how someone as smart and conniving as you are could be completely unaware of the fact that Christian Grey was here at Marquand Enterprises, in my _fucking _office. I thought that you were uber spy!"

"He's scared," Grey half-whispered, impressed at the work that they were doing. "Your press conference this morning must have done the job. That's good. It means he's looking harder for answers."

"It also means that he's that much closer to finding you. Are you ready for that kind of exposure? Your whole life has been guarded and protected. Once the cat's out of the bag that's it."

"That's kind of the point, Aunt Kate." Grey got up and picked up a photo frame. "I'm not turning my back on the plan. Provisions have been made and plans produced."

"As long as you know what you're doing," Kate said. "But still, you need to pay more attention. The whole jig would have been up if he had seen you. This will all be for nothing if he exposes you before you get the chance to finish this."

"Don't worry," Grey told her and gave her a wink. "I've got this covered."

* * *

><p>Christian hung up the phone for what seemed like the hundredth time and waved at Taylor closer. "What the hell is going on with my fucking company?"<p>

"I might actually have some answers to that," Taylor told him. "You asked me to look into Ms. Steele, or as she later became known as Mrs. Jose Rodriguez."

Christian loosened his tie and yanked it off. "And what did you find," he asked through gritted teeth.

"Mrs. Rodriguez was diagnosed with cervical cancer about seven years ago, she passed away three years ago."

Christian turned to look at Taylor, his eyes like dry ice that burned anything that came in contact with it. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"There were no obituaries, the funeral was private and her body was buried on private property. Ana lived a quiet life with her husband, publishing her novels under a pen name. Apparently she had written several books before her death that were unpublished; parts of series that had a quiet following. That was why the news of her death among her readers went unknown. Jose sold them to the publishing company and they continued to print for a few more years."

"Anything else?"

Taylor opened his mouth to speak when Ros came rushing in. "It's a takeover," she yelled at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Marquand Enterprises; they're forcing a hostile take over!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** thank you for the reviews! Sorry about the name change but I was never really happy with the title and I felt that at least this way there was a tie to the series. This is a short chapter but I am hoping that you think it is **AMAZING!** Keep reading and reviewing.

* * *

><p>Ros came rushing in. "It's a takeover," she yelled at him.<p>

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Marquand Enterprises; they're forcing a hostile takeover!"

* * *

><p>"How the<em> hell <em>is this even _possible_," Christian demanded. It was two o'clock in the morning and he had called in the rest of his technical team, his executive assistants and his lawyers; all of whom shrank at the boom of his voice.

"There is _no way in hell_ I think that _Katherine Kavanagh is smart enough_ to pull this off!"

Ros took out her iPad and showed and the documents appeared on the projector screen for the entire room to see. "Katherine Kavanagh may be the spokesperson of Marquand Enterprises but it appears she is not the mastermind behind this."

"_Then who is?"_ Christian had left the land of the rational and his propensity for anger was scary.

Ros continued, "Within a short period of time Marquand Enterprises has managed to buy out most of Christian's share holders, which alone are not enough of to take over the management of the company. However, Marquand has also taken away many of our investors as well as bids for other projects that would have kept Grey House on top.

"This," Ros said pulling up the most damning document, "is why Marquand is able to challenge Christian's hold on Grey Enterprises. A birth certificate," she paused for dramatic effect, "in the name of Greyson Marquand; sorry but the picture is partially blurry and our tech staff has been unable to clarify it."

"This is preposterous," Christian bellowed. "There is no way there's any truth to this."

"Unfortunately," one of his lawyers spoke, "when your father drafted the legal paperwork for your company and how shares would be distributed among family, he meant for it to protect your control over your company because he assumed they would all vote with you.

"However, there's a clause that says upon the twenty-fourth birthday a biological child would receive fifteen percent of your shares. If DNA results come in a match than Grey Marquand would assume his shares and Marquand Enterprises takes control of Grey Enterprises."

"But more realistically, this is a way to damage the reputation of Mr. Grey to force his hand in giving up control of the company," Ros informed them. "By the time DNA results come back negative we believe that Marquand will have leaked the story and –" the sound of a blackberry going off echoed across the room.

"Too late," Christian's publicist said. "It's hitting the news stations in a few hours. The story has already broken."

"I don't understand," one of the tech staff said. "Wouldn't leaking this be bad for their reputation as well if it's not true?"

* * *

><p>Christian Grey walked through the doors to Marquand Enterprises and came face to face with a devilish smirk belonging to Katherine Kavanagh. "Well, hello Daddy. Congratulations; it's a girl."<p>

Behind him, Christian heard an office door open and the clacking of heels on the hardwood floor. He turned and saw a young woman, about five feet and seven inches tall with hair the shiny copper color of a new penny and gray eyes but her face was all Anastasia's.

"Greyson Marquand; otherwise known as your new boss."


	6. Chapter 6

Christian Grey walked through the doors to Marquand Enterprises and came face to face with a devilish smirk belonging to Katherine Kavanagh. "Well, hello Daddy. Congratulations; it's a girl."

Behind him, Christian heard an office door open and the clacking of heels on the hardwood floor. He turned and saw a young woman, about five feet and seven inches tall with hair the shiny copper color of a new penny and gray eyes but her face was all Anastasia's.

"Greyson Marquand; otherwise known as your new boss."

* * *

><p>Greyson's copper hair was sleek and shiny, pulled to one side of her neck where it was tied into an elegant knot at her nape. Gray eyes narrowed at the sight of Christian Grey, in a way that reminded him of a cat stalking its prey.<p>

Still, he couldn't see past her face. It was the face of the only woman he could never really have and though he had known it from the first time he had met Ana, it was something that he would never come to terms with in this lifetime.

"We don't want to have this meeting out in the hallway, now do we?" Grey extended a slender arm to her office door and held it open. "After you," she smiled, though there was no warmth in her voice no matter how deceptive her face was.

Somehow he managed to move his feet, though he had no recollection of walking into this woman's office. This woman; my daughter, Christian thought. He had never thought this would happen in a million years. Children had never been a part of the picture for him, especially grown adult children from out of the blue. How the hell had this happened?

Grey moved around him elegantly, sitting at her office desk and leaning back in her chair. Christian noted their similarities. This girl was wearing his patented look 'I own you, bitch!' which was an exuberant look of splendor and enthusiasm with a slight pinch of sadism.

"I assume you've come to discuss the terms of the takeover," she purred. "I assure you, while you will no longer have the majority of shares in the company that you will continue to be relevant as Marquand-Grey honors your accomplishments as a founder of my company, and of course you will receive a lucrative settlement. That is as long as you sign the proper nondisclosure documents and sign a contract stating that you will not take any of Grey Enterprises technology and work with you."

Shaking his head, Christian fought to gain his composure back. "What makes you think I will let this happen? You don't know who it is you're dealing with!"

"Christian Grey, second child of Mr. and Dr. Trevelyan-Grey; younger brother to Elliot and older brother to Mia. You have never publically dated anyone except, of course, my mother," Grey's voiced dipped into a cold, icy octave, "and you've made your way in the world by squashing anyone whose opposed you. Unfortunately, nothing can help you now. Especially not those who have been squashed by your iron fist.

"You see," Grey continued, leaning forward in her seat so that she was directly in his face, "I've made a habit of using honey to catch flies while you –my dear father—have been using vinegar. The thing about vinegar is that it's corrosive, and eventually it breaks everything it's come into contact with down until every delicate bond is broken.

"You haven't inspired trust or loyalty or good faiths among those you've destroyed and now," the devilish red head said, "you don't have anyone in your corner fighting with you. Didn't you wonder why I was able to take your bids away from you every single time? Or why your share holders were willing to sell me there stocks at such a reasonable price? In case you haven't figured it out," she turned both ways pretending to look for eaves droppers, "no one _cares for you_," Grey let him in on the secret.

"I'm not interested in how you did it anymore," Christian told her. "But I will find a way around it. Somewhere along the line something you did was illegal or fraudulent, and when I find it I will take over control of _both_ companies."

Christian stood, buttoning his suit and Grey caught a glimpse of insight into why her mother had loved this man so dearly for so long. "Goodbye," Grey wiggled her fingers in a mocking wave and smiled in a way as to tell him 'go ahead and try'.

Watching to make sure he was gone, Grey swiveled back and forth in her chair and she grabbed her office phone dialing home. "Aunt Kate, is she there? Put her on," she said and waited to hear the familiar voice. "It's done. It's time for the next stage."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: I realize it's been a long time. Thank you so much for all of the reviews; your feedback means so much to me. More secrets will be revealed and some moments will be missing but you will find more out along the way.

* * *

><p>"A daughter," Ros was shocked. "I thought Greyson Marquand would have been a boy. I guess we just assumed from the name because the birth certificate we have has blocked out information. Anyway, how the hell did they come up with Marquand for a last name out of Steele, Rodriquez, and Grey?"<p>

"It goes back to Steele," Grey barked out. "It was her way of giving Greyson her name and keeping her hidden at the same time."

"What would you like us to do, Sir?" Taylor was waiting for orders before making any moves.

Christian sat at his desk and leaned back in his chair, trying to lift some of this weight off his chest. "Somewhere along the way they did something illegal. Oh, I don't doubt that they were meticulous in covering their tracks but no one is perfect. Find out how they did it and I can find a way to take back the company."

* * *

><p>Kate poured her cup of coffee and added some Irish whiskey to turn it into something truly spectacular, since the office was emptied and the only ones left were the Inner Circle. This was the first quiet moment she had had all day since the story broke about Christian Grey's illegitimate daughter and she was going to milk it for all it was worth.<p>

Stirring, the spoon clanked on the side of the mug and Kate thought of her best friend. Anastasia Steele had been a truly inspiring individual. _Hell, she even inspired Christian Grey's love –_infatuation, she questioned—_and you had to be truly special to gain _that _son of a bitch's attention. _How would she feel knowing that they were taking revenge?

"Aunt Kate," her niece swung the door to the staff kitchen open, "there's work to be done. Everyone is waiting for you."

"I know," she said tapping her spoon before setting it down. "Let's get back to the group. Did Jose decide to join us?"

"You know how dad feels about our plan," the young woman responded as they walked side by side towards the conference room. "I know he doesn't care much for the man, but he respects mom's wishes about letting sleeping dogs lie."

"Maybe we'd all be better off with that attitude," Kate replied, "but I promised to help and I know that I'm guided by my own blind hatred of the man but we're in too deep to let go now."

"Would you really want to?"

"I don't know," the older woman said, her hand pausing on the conference room door.

"Are you really having second thoughts," her niece scoffed. "I mean, you helped mastermind this whole thing," she reminded Kate.

"No, I want to see Christian Grey lose everything. I just don't know if any of us are prepared for what we might be losing in the process," before strutting in and leaving her niece second guessing everything.

* * *

><p>"Uh, Mr. Grey," Andrea hastened. "I think you're going to want to take a look at these," she said handing him a folder.<p>

"What is it," he asked and didn't wait for an answer before looking at the documents. "What the hell is this?"

"Sir, you have a daughter," Andrea told him.

"We already know that," Ros said walking over with Taylor. She didn't know what the hell was going on but didn't dare grab the folder from Christian Grey's hands.

* * *

><p>"Grace," Grey called out and her heels clacked against the hardwood floors, "what the hell was all that about?"<p>

Grace slowed and pivoted to face her sister and swept her deep chestnut brown hair behind her shoulder, letting it fall in long cascading layers. While Grey looked like a corporate goddess, Grace was uber feminine in a black knee length formfitting dress with a deep v neckline and spaghetti straps and red t-strap wedges with a peep toe.

"Why, whatever do you mean," she asked sardonically.

"I need your support right now, Grace. I'm taking down the man who destroyed our mother's life—"

Grace threw back her head and let out a deep, throaty laugh. "You really think mom's life was ruined? She had a great marriage—"

"To a man she didn't love," Grey interrupted.

"—two great daughters that she adored," Grace ticked off on her fingers, "a writing career that inspired her, and amazing friends and family. Mom might have had her moments of sadness because of that jackass but her life wasn't ruined. Not by him. She had cancer, Greyson. Mom died from cancer, not of a broken heart."

"You know as well as I do that Christian Grey robbed her of something that she never found ever again. She might have been satisfied with her writing career and had a great friendship with Dad, but mom never got over him."

"And it's our job to take revenge?"

"Not revenge; just avenging mom," Grey told her.

"How are we avenging mom if she let it go long before she died? Aunt Kate has a point, mom would _not_ want this," Grace cried.

Grey looked shocked. "What do you mean, Aunt Kate has a point? What did she say to you?"

"Just that mom had it right. The best way to give Christian Grey what he deserves is to give him absolutely nothing." Grace grabbed her twin sister by the upper arms, "You might be taking his company and everything he built away, but you are giving him so much more," her voice quivered. "I agreed to this because it mattered to you and I know that you will do whatever you feel is necessary, but don't do this and say it's because of mom, Grey. Be honest with me."

Grey wrenched her arms away and stared her sister down. "You don't know what you're talking about," and walked away.

Standing there, Grace thought about everything they had gone through with their mother's cancer and finally finding out that Jose was not their biological father when her phone rang. "Hello?"

Grace listened for a movement and the sorrow that shrouded her face lifted away as fury settled in. "How the hell did you get this number?"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: A short chapter, I know. But I haven't written in months and so many of you have been inquiring into the status of this fanfiction that I just had to start writing for it again. Be warned, I have two jobs and work seventy hour work weeks so I might not post that often but I definitely would love to finish this story for all of you. Thank you for all of your reviews.

* * *

><p>Grace traveled down the concrete path, walking along the college green as she made her way to the science building where there was a large iron and brick gazebo. It was two o'clock in the morning and she hadn't brought a jacket along to wear for the car ride. Now she was regretting that decision as she came face to face with a man she had sworn long ago would never mean anything to her again.<p>

"I would say nice to see you, but I think we both know that's a lie…"

* * *

><p>"The fact of the matter is that we don't have anything that could stop Marquand enterprises from receiving the shares," Ros said, "and now the shares have doubled because there are two heirs to collect. What have we found out about the second twin, Grace?"<p>

Taylor stepped forward at that to share his intel. "Well, we know by now that Grey is the business mastermind, but Grace is the science. She triple-majored in physics, chemistry and engineering with a minor in biology and fine arts."

"Busy kid," one of the lawyers muttered.

"And she did it all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA and being the president of a prestigious national sorority. The kid is scary smart, and finished her undergrad work by the time she was 19 years old and has two masters degrees as well as a Ph.D. And it explains why they've been able to produce the quality of work we do here," Taylor said. "There's absolutely no evidence of espionage or fraud that we've been able to find."

* * *

><p>"I thought I'd come see the mysterious twin sister that just popped up on Grey Enterprises," he said. "I must admit you weren't what I was expecting when I heard the news."<p>

"Why? What exactly were you expecting?"

"I don't know. A little more style and flair; definitely more cunning. You don't seem the type to be able to get away with this."

Grace smiled and shrugged. "Just shows you don't know everything," she turned to walk away and he grabbed her.

"You might want to think about what exactly it is you're doing here, Grace. I'd hate to have to leak certain information," the man told her.

Yanking her arm free, she gave him the finger and said, "Oh, that's _right_! You _already_ _tried_ to fuck me. See where that gets you? Number two to the second best company because you're not capable of any kind of greatness yourself. I'd say see you later, Neil, but I really just don't want to. See you, that is," Grace chuckled and strutted away.

Once he could no longer see her face Grace let her smile drop and she managed to make it to her car and drive off before dialing her sister. "You know what, Grey? You're absolutely right. Let's take Grey House down. I have a new idea for a project that I think could make everything Dear old daddy is working on obsolete."


	9. Chapter 9

Neil strode in past the blonde receptionist right in the middle of Christian's meeting. At 29 years old, he was a brilliant business man and believed that working with Christian would catapult him to greatness. It was ironic that he had been in a position to cement his relationship to the mogul only a short two years earlier and hadn't known it. A smirk briefly appeared on his face and disappeared as his mentor glanced at him.

For the past five years Neil had been working at Grey Enterprises, he had strived not only for perfection, but unparalleled brilliance and the ability to make himself indispensable to the company. He had risen among the corporate ladder quite fast, and now understood why exactly his relationship with Grace Marquand had come to an end. Her dirty little secret –the one she had had refused to let go of—was that she was the daughter of the man he hoped to someday replace as CEO of Grey Enterprises.

Going to see her tonight hadn't been about threatening her as he had made it seem. He was just returning the favor and the cruelty that she had shown him after she had left him. Neil's chest tightened and he started to become angry all over again. She had left him, he knew now, because she and her equally bitchy sister had been using him the whole time to get what they wanted; an inside account of the company's goings on. How disappointed she must have been to find out that she had wasted a year on him without achieving her goal.

"Taylor and Ros were just filling us in on what they know about Grace," Christian said. "Where have you been?"

"I was having a meeting," Neil said, "with Grace."

"How did you arrange that," Ros asked. "Do you know her?" Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"As a matter of fact, I do. We both attended university together and met on campus while we were working on our masters' degree. I realize now that's probably why we met. It was during my internship here and I think both she and Grey must have targeted me to try and get inside information."

"And did they," Christian said as he stepped toward his protégé.

"Not a damn thing," the young man drawled. "She ended things after a year of not getting anything out of me, and the two of them must have tried to infiltrate your company some other way."

Christian was having a hard time accepting the fact that he had daughters, but at the realization that the only person he had ever trusted to one day run his company had been involved with one of his daughters and the real heir to Grey Enterprises, he thought he was going to have that well deserved heart attack.

"We need to keep looking for some kind of leak," Taylor suggested. "Just because we haven't found anything doesn't mean we will. We need to look closer. They were obviously really clever about not being tied to any of the employees we give background checks to. Which only leaves—"

"It only leaves family members," Christian thought. "No one in my family would do something like this, though. No," he said sternly, interrupting Ros before she could say anything. "We still need to go over every project Neill had access to during the time frame for his relationship with Grace, if only to disprove any leaks coming from you."

"Is there anything particular you can tell us about either of the girls that might help us in our investigation," Taylor asked him.

"You want me to profile them for you," he bit off. "Grey is the business mastermind, cold and calculating but the girl can turn on the doe eyes whenever she needs to which comes in handy when working with other investors and negotiations. Grace is the science, but she's not the typical science geek. She's polished and feminine and knows how to make people feel at ease when she's digging through their most personal details of their lives.

"Together, they are cold, cruel and have only their own agenda to account for. Whatever happened between you and their mother," he turned to Christian, "is the motivation behind their attacks. They'll stop at nothing to get what they want. What you need is leverage, and I have it."


End file.
